Saving money by catering your holiday celebrations need not be a daunting or stressful event. With some budget-savvy tips and a little know-how, you can pull off a great family holiday celebration worthy of Martha. The first step in creating any successful holiday gathering is planning. By taking the time to plan your menu, decorations, and timetable, you can free yourself from the hundreds of questions running around inside your head. Here are some things to think about when self-catering an event: 1. How many people am I inviting? While a smaller gathering can mean less expense, a large party doesn't have to blow your budget, if you are creative and organized. 2. How fancy or casual do I want this event to be? If this is going to be an informal gathering of immediate family, the menu and decorations will be very different from a large gathering of extended family, co-workers, or a mix of both. 3. What is my budget for this party? Setting down an on-paper, realistic budget will help you avoid shell-shock at the grocery store checkout line. 4. Are there any special needs of any guests? You should know if anyone has food allergies or special medical needs such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and requires special food. 5. How much time do I have until this event? If it's October, and you're planning a lavish Christmas party, then you have plenty of time to prepare a fancier menu, more detailed decorations, and you probably have more budget to spend. If you are short on time, money, and ideas, there's no reason to try and make everything worthy of a magazine cover. Just plan an event that both you and your guests can enjoy, and don?t sweat the small stuff. Now that you have your plan in hand, it's time to look for those time and money-saving ideas. Check the sales flyer for your local grocery stores. This is the first stop to serious food savings. Write down any good deals and compare with coupons if you have any. Try to see what kind of menu you can plan with what you have to hand, and what you can get in the sales. Try a warehouse club for discounts on large quantities. If you're having a large party during the holiday season, try a warehouse club for your alcohol. Places like Costco and Sam's Club will give you more bang for your buck on bulk ingredients, fruit and vegetables, pre-prepared party foods, and, perhaps most importantly, on alcohol. If you're planning on serving drinks at your gathering, be sure to compare prices at both the liquor stores and warehouse clubs. You may just end up better off buying a case of wine rather than several bottles, and you can always give anything spare as a gift at the end of your holiday event. Unless your party is going to be a formal event, good quality paper or clear plastic plates / cups are acceptable, and much easier on the hostess that will be doing the after-party cleanup. These can also be purchased from warehouse clubs. Think simple and elegant when decorating. Not only will simple, understated decorations look classy and elegant, the "less is more" approach will save you money.
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